Ludwig(a)
Playwrights and actors Adam Linton and Amy Cachero on the task of queering European history in their short play about Empress Elisabeth of Austria and King Ludwig II of Bavaria, Ludwig(a). The play follows an evening with Ludwig and his cousin the empress during and after a court ball and explores Ludwig’s queer identity and Elisabeth’s stifled role as a royal wife. …
Fuckboys: The Musical, presented by Generation Productions, is a dramatization of the archetypal modern woman, or at least the suggestion of one often pushed onto us by Baby Boomers. The core cast of four women each tackle a facet of this archetype; we have the workaholic, the stoner, the one who’s afraid of commitment, and the one who’s just come out of a long-term relationship. These tropes are, unfortunately, a bit tired and under-nuanced in 2019, but the cast works admirably to make up for this lack of dramaturgical depth with extremely strong vocals, fun choreography, and great ensemble chemistry. …
How generations feel and express trauma has certainly evolved in the past thirty years; young people now have a digital framework through which they can build support networks and group testimonies. Modern youth have built a veritable empire through social media and other platforms wherein they can expose their abusers and unite in strength with fellow victims; how we societally tackle abuse of power and abuse of position has changed, to say the least. Spare Change Theatre’s No More Secrets is an awe-inspiring mediation between the vitality of today’s youth and the haunting verbal transcripts of past survivors, with a fantastic cast and an impactful, ethically-constructed script. …
These performances were reviewed June 16. The Ottawa Fringe Festival continues until June 23 at various downtown venues. Tickets & information: ottawafringe.com, 613-232-6162. Pinter Stew (Third
God is a Scottish Drag Queen (Mike Delamont, Victoria, BC) The world could use a few more laughs these days. Fortunately, God is at hand.
A production by the improv group Black Box Comedy, the premise of GoFundYourself is promising enough. The show, directed by Chris Hannay and Dani Alon, begins with performer asking an audience member what their big dream is; this dream will then be the goal that both the performers and spectators will try to raise funds for that particular evening, in a telethon style format. The catch is that instead of financial donations, the funds will take the form of laughs elicited from the audience by the various sketches enacted. …
Joan MacLeod’s play The Shape of a Girl, inspired by the 1997 murder of Reena Virk in Saanich, BC, pulls no punches in its depiction of bullying among girls and the disastrous consequences it has on all of those involved, including the victim, bystander and bully. The production at Ottawa Fringe, directed by Sabrina Casanova, is one that does due justice to the difficult subject matter presented onstage. The play tells the story of a young teenager from Vancouver Island, Braidie, who is affected by the murder of Virk amidst witnessing a similar situation play out within her own friend circle. Having three young actors (Zuzia Kochanowicz, Eve Beauchamp and Hayley Dennis) portray the role of Braidie creates a unique dialogic effect between the conflicting thoughts that are expressed by her. This choice of casting multiple actors is arguably more engaging than having only one would have been, as the internal tension within Braidie is displayed more overtly with each actor voicing a different sentiment. …
Corporations have been under heavy scrutiny in recent times, at least since the heyday of the global Occupy movement in 2011. In light of both this and the numerous public controversies that have surrounded the dominant Starbucks brand (such as racial profiling in the US and exploitive working conditions in Africa), a coffee-chain is an apt representative for the kinds of corporations that are targeted in Matt Hertendy’s apocalyptic-comedy Beans of Fury. …
photo Andrew Alexander
Nicholas Arnott’s one-man performance of ARNOTT: A Masterclass in Good Theatring, is laudable in his ability to craft a convincing, though entirely fabricated, personality. Donning the accent of a half-English, half-German actor called Niklaus Arnott, the masterclass begins as an unorthodox lesson in theatre technique. Each performance focuses on a different aspect of theatre; the one I went to featured “Proper Yelling”. The session starts out light-hearted enough, with the actor appearing nude before the audience (spectator warning) and speaking matter-of-factly about how “the lessons of acting can be harsh.” The plausibility concerning one’s identity is also discussed in this opening monologue. …
Not: A Bev Oda Memoir Photo thanks to the Ottawa Fringe Festival
Clara Madrenas’s one-woman production of Not: A Bev Oda Memoir is easily one of the most inventive and genuinely funny parody skits on offer at the Fringe this season. The London, ON-based performer duly entertains at singing, guitar playing and acting, making for a thoroughly enjoyable performance. The focus is not simply on humour, however, as the land acknowledgment and encouragement to the audience to think about what they can do to further Indigenous reconciliation by Madrenas at the beginning provides a serious undertone to the show. Such an acknowledgement is important, Madrenas says, since “this play is about Canada.” That it certainly is, and much more too, in its insightful remarks on contemporary political culture in North America. …
Giddily tiptoeing about the room in a sequin unitard and matching headpiece, a peculiar Englishman asks, “Is there a wizard in the room?”. This is the question which Oli Weatherly, Gaulier-trained clown and the show’s creator, seeks to answer each time he performs this highly absurd and much enchanting one-man piece.
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